BAR ITON E 6-STR I NG
BAR ITON E 8-STR I NG
12-FR ET
Three unique guitar voices from 2009 have inspired new models for
our line this year: a 6- and 8-string Baritone Grand Symphony and a
12-fret Grand Concert. Linking the trio are the tonewood combina-
tion of Indian rosewood and Sitka spruce and an underlying theme of
discovering fresh musical inspiration. The Baritone models feature a
longer 27-inch scale length and are tuned from B to B, giving singer-
songwriters a guitar with deeper, richer tone, yet with normal string
tension, and allowing them to sing in a lower vocal range. The 8-string
is a sonic revelation, pairing two upper octave strings with the third
and fourth (D and A) strings to extend the baritone range into the
upper register without overemphasizing the 12-string jangle. It’s great
for walking bass lines and other melodic chord embellishments.
The rosewood/spruce 12-Fret has stolen Bob Taylor’s heart and
given the world a Taylor sound like no other — a modern vintage
tone that blends warmth and depth on the low end with crisp,
snappy treble and surprising overall volume. Because the neck
meets the body at the 12th fret instead of the 14th, and the bridge
is repositioned farther back on the soundboard, the result is a
sweet spot of sound that gives the 12-Fret the voice of an aged
guitar right out of the case. The model also features a slotted head
and a cutaway design inspired by our Nylon Series. If you’ve been
craving something different to stimulate your creative juices, look
no further than our specialty models.
San Diego singer-songwriter Cindy Lee Berryhill enjoys her first
exposure to our new 8-string Baritone. Berryhill often writes in the
keys of B and B flat and says the Taylor Baritone is now officially on
her wish list. “I’ve always loved the lower tones of the guitar and have
been an admirer of Neil Young’s detuned guitar sound,” she says.
“But probably most important is my desire to reinvent. As a guitar-
ist/songwriter, I invite each song cycle to come from a fresh place.
I like to get myself in a sea of tones on a ship that’s lost its bearing,
its North Star, which forces me to reinvent a new constellation of
chords. Then the songs start blowing in.”
L-R: The 12-Fret, Baritone 8-string, and Baritone 6-string
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2 0 1 0 G u I TA R G u I D E
T H E
S P E C I A LT y
M O D E L S
